Dumping vehicle



June 2,' 1925- 1,539,876

T. SEEVERS DUMPING VEHICLE 051ml Filed oct. so, v1920 .F.'Z5f.l 22

ATTORNEY Patented June 2, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

THOMAs snnvnns, neoassnn, LATE or osKALoosA, Iowa; BY GRACE SEEVERS, EXECUTRIX: O F OSKALOO'SA, I CJWA DUMPING VEHICLE.

Original application lerl ctcber 30, 1920, Serial No. 426,717. .Divided and this application filed May T all whom it may 00h00/7m:

Be it known that I, GRACE Simvnns, a citizen of the United States` residing at Oskaloosa, ounty of Mahaska, State of Iowa,

executrix of the estate of THOMAS Snnvnns,

late a citizen of the United States, and a resident of 0skaloosa, in the county of Mahaska and State of Iowa, deceased (as by reference to the duly certified copy of letters testamentary on file in the Patent Office, will more fully appear), do hereby declare that the said THOMAS SEEvnRs invented a new and useful Improvement in Dumping Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to dumping vehicles, and particularly to means for dumping the loads thereof.

The objects of the invention are to provide an improved controlling means for the dumping doors of the vehicle, whereby the load will be quickly discharged with a minimum of effort on the part of the operator, and the doors will be automatically closed as soon as the entire load is dumped.

Other objects will be understood from the following detailed description of one preferred embodiment of the invention, shown in the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section through an excavating and dumping cart constructed in accordance with my invention;

vigure 2 is a top plan view of the cart; an

Figure 3 is a detail view on a larger scale, showing the control parts of the dumping mechanism.

Figure 4 is a vertical section of the subject matter of Figure 3.

The present application is a division of a copending application tiled by Thomas Seevers, October 30th, 1920, Serial No. 420,717. The claims of the parent case are directed specifically to the excavating and leveling parts of the machine. In the accompanying drawing only so much of the machine is shown as is helpful to an understanding of this invention.

Referring in more detail to the illustrative embodiment of the invention depicted in the Serial N0. 561,434.

drawing, there is shown a frame 10 and a hopper or body 11 on the frame, said hopper open at the top and having converging sides so that its bottom is of smaller area than the top. Passing through the hopper is a sleeve 12 enclosing` an axle; and a wheel 18 is revolvably mounted on one end of the axle, while a conveyor wheel 14 is made fast to the opposite axle end. The two wheels 13, 14 support and permit ready turning of the vehicle. Y

The bottom of the hopper 11 is closed by hinged doors 19 opening downwardly. Said doors are maintained in closed position by chains 20 secured to a shaft 22 mounted in brackets 21 and extending longitudinally of the machine above the hopper. As the shaft is rotated by means to be described, the chains 2O will be wrapped about the shaft, thus bringing the doors 19 to closed position, or else they will be unwrapped therefrom, whereupon the doors will swing outwardly toA dump Athe material.

The forward end of the shaft 22 mounts a hand wheel 23, secured thereto by means of a key 22a, which causes the hand wheel and the shaft to rotate together. A spring 24 similar to a clock spring is secured at one end to the shaft 22 and is housed within a recess provided on a ratchet disk 25 on wheel 23 and has its outer end secured to a pin 21a, which is secured to the front bracket 21 beneath the shaft 22 and projects forwardly to extend into the said recess of the ratchet wheel, asv clearly shown in Figure 4 of the drawing. A pawl 26 is pivotally mounted upon the hopper, as indicated at 27, and has a handle 28 normally maintained in raised position by a coil spring 29. The spring 29 tends to maintain the pawl in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet disk. The spring 24 tends to move the shaft 22 in such direction that the doors 19 are elevated to closed position by the winding of the chains 20 thereon, the expansive force of the spring causing the shaft and wheel to turn in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3, wherein the parts are shown with the pawl 26 held in depressed position while the doors 19 are moving downwardly under ing being allowed to take place only when the pawl is swungl out of enga ement with the ratchet disk. After the loa is dumped, the tension of the spring returns the doors to closed position and the pavvl,` being spring-pressed against the ratchet, holds the disk and hence the shaft 22 in the necessary position so that more excavated material may be conveyed into the cart and held therein until the time for the next dumping occurs.

When the operator desires to dump a, load, it is only necessary to depress thehandle 28 of'pawl 26., whereupon the weight of the materiall in the hopper will cause the doors 19 to swing downwardly and outwardly. Assoon, however, as all the material has dropped, the spiral spring 24, which was wound up by the downward movement of the doors, will return the doors to closed position, andl this return movement will take place automatically and without attention on the part of the operator. The hand Wheel 23 permits the operator to lighten the tension of the spiral spring by giving added turns to the latter after the doors are in closed position.

The invention provides a simple but cihcient means for controlling the dumping of loads from a vehicle' of any description and Vthe preferred means shown in the drawing is not only'easy to operate but is readily installed u'pon dumping carts and dumping carsof widely varying types.

Having described one embodiment of the invention, what is claimedI is 1. A dumping device comprising a hopper, a longitudinal shaft rotatably mounted on the hopper, a dumping door for the hopper, a chain connecting the door to the shaft, said chain wrapping on the shaft, a-v hand wheel s'plined on the shaft and havin a ratchet wheel carried hereby and turrng therewith, a pawl ivoted on the hopper and engaging the rate et wheel to maintain the door closed, and a spiral spring surrounding the shaft with one end connected to the latter and theother to a stationar part for rewinding thechain on the shaf after the pawl has been released and the Vdoor is opened by the weight of the load, said spring being placed under tension when the door is opened, whereby the door Vautomatically closes following the dumping of the load, said hand wheel being operable to control the tension of the Spring afterthe door is closed.

2. In a machine ofthe class described, a

hopped, oppositely swinging dumping doors hinged to the bottom of the hopper, alined rbearings mounted on' the upper edges of the endsof the hopper, a longitudinal shaft mounted to revolve therein, front andv rear chains connected' to the door's and wound upon the shaft,` a hand wheel keyed toune end of the shaft, a ratchet wheel connected to the hand wheel, a pawl mounted on the hopper to engage the ratchet wheelA and hold the doors elevated to receive and support a load when the chains are wound upon the shaft, and a spiral spring having its inner end connected to the shaftand its outer end to a stationary part to revolve the shaft,

wind up the chains and close the doors-after Y the pawl has been released and thefyloadVA is dumped, said spring `heilig rewound when the doors are swun open under the weight of the load, and said hund wheel being operable to control the tension of the spring after the doors are closed. W

In testimony, ythat I claim the foregoing as the invent-ion of THOMAS' Seamus, deceased, I have hereto aiixed my signature.

' GRACE SEEVERS, Eecutrz'm of the estate of Tnvas b'e've'rs, deceased, 

